She Knows
by ManhattanMadame
Summary: He was a slightly awkward self-confessed computer geek and she; well to him she was a goddess. Adam/OC.


**Disclaimer: Sadly, they're not mine. I do not own, nor do I claim to own, anybody from the show. **

**Notes: **

**1) Sorry it's been ages since I last posted guys, university has been insane lately but seeing as I have a week off I _promise_ I will finish the Hawkes/Ale story and get it posted.**

**2) This is the first time I have written Adam as the main character in a story so I was quite reticent to post. Huge thanks to _Brinchen86_ for giving me the courage to do so.  
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**Thanks: ****I just wanted to say thank you to everybody who read, reviewed and/or favourited my last story "Letters of Cowardice" ****especially ****_Brinchen86,_**** _Lime_Sweet_Pea _and_ afrozenheart412. _The support from you guys for a Peyton story was incredible, thank you SO much.**

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* * *

**He heard her infectious laugh as he stepped out of the elevator and he instantly felt his pulse quicken slightly but when he turned the corner and saw who she was sharing her laugh with his heart sank to his feet and felt as though it was beating impossibly slow.

He put his head down with the intention of hurrying past them both however before he could do so Don had caught his eye and sent a warm smile his way; something he knew he would have to return. Lifting his gaze from his shoes he plastered a smile across his face.

"Morning man" he said by way of address, making his voice sound as warm and confident as he could.

"Morning Adam" she chirped, smiling at him as he walked past her desk into one of the labs. He sent her a half smile as a reply. From the moment she had started working as the Crime Lab receptionist he had developed a crush on her which showed no sign of disappearing.

She would never feel the same way though, he was sure of it. Why would she? He was a slightly awkward self-confessed computer geek and she; well to him she was a goddess. He was so intent on mentally beating himself up that he didn't even notice the man he was comparing himself to was now standing behind him until Don cleared his throat.

"Oh hey Flack" he said as he spun around in his chair, making sure the chair didn't connect with Don in the process. "What's up?"

"Mac told me you had a, what did he call it?" Flack paused to pull a small notebook out of his jacket pocket and flick through the pages until he found the page he wanted. "A digitally aged composite image of our suspect so I was wondering if I could grab a copy."

"Sure, let me just print you one." Adam replied before pressing a button on the computer in front of him and sending a variety of machines into a whirling frenzy. Seconds later he handed Flack a piece of paper which showed a picture of a man roughly forty years of age, he had olive skin and black hair, a square jaw and a scar running from above his left eyebrow to just above his left cheek. A second piece of paper showed the same man, only this time his hair was grey.

"Wow, I don't know how you do these things" Flack said as he examined the two pieces of paper. "Let's just hope they help us find him. Thanks man" he said as he patted Adam on the back and left the lab.

* * *

It was a busy day for Mac Taylor's team in the New York Crime Lab. They were working on two different cases and Adam and his time were being stretched between the two different working groups. Departmental budget cuts meant the department were woefully understaffed however the staff they did have were more than competent enough to deal with such shortages.

Adam had managed to run most of the trace evidence both sets of CSIs had collected earlier in the day so he was now focusing his attention on a CCTV tape. He was playing the tape on four different televisions at various speeds and in various degrees of magnification in an attempt to find something useful.

"Hey Adam" her voice was soft and friendly and came as a surprise to him, causing him to visibly jump a little. "Oh I'm sorry; I didn't mean to sneak up" she added, sounding genuinely apologetic.

"It's fine" he said before turning around to see if he was dreaming or not. He wasn't. Kara really was standing in his lab, talking to him and nobody else was around. After he had overcome the initial shock of her standing before him and mentally scolded himself for the blush he could feel creeping into his complexion he spoke again.

"Umm, you're not allowed to have that in here because of all the equipment" he said pointing at the cup of coffee she was holding. He noticed, and not for the first time, that her nails were perfectly manicured and painted a shiny black.

"Sorry, I don't usually go into the labs so I didn't realise" she blushed before excusing herself from the room.

'_Adam you idiot! You had the chance to actually speak to her alone for once and you basically tell her to leave because she's carrying coffee! What is wrong with you?!'_ A voice inside him said. He was still in the process of once again mentally beating himself up when she returned.

"Right, coffee's gone!" she smiled brightly, "am I okay to be in here now? I don't need a jacket or anything?" she bit on her bottom lip.

"No you're erm, you're fine. No need for a, uh, uh, coat" he replied, tripping over his words as she moved closer to look at the images on the screens.

"Okay well, uh, I was just wondering," she stopped to look at him but he was looking at his shoes. "I was just wondering if you had plans tonight?"

Adam choked on his own breath and Kara could now see why liquids were banned, had Adam been drinking she was pretty sure he would have just spat the liquid all over the expensive lab equipment in what appeared to be shock.

"Adam?" she questioned, attempting to capture his attention again.

"Huh? I, oh, I, um, tonight? Gee, I, I, I'm working!" he replied, attempting to keep his tone light and jovial though he cursed himself for the hesitation. He could have sworn he saw a look of disappointment flash across her beautiful features but dismissed the idea instantly. "It's just we're really busy today and you know how understaffed we are and I have hours and hours and hours of tapes to watch and…" he stopped himself from babbling anymore, controlling his nervousness once again.

"Oh okay" Kara replied with a smile. "I was just asking because I have tickets to go and see One Square tonight and the girlfriend I was going with bailed on me and I know you like them so I thought I'd see if you were free."

"Oh that would have been awesome! I love those guys!" Adam replied, surprised she had remembered when he recalled as being a brief conversation in the break room before she went out for drinks with Stella.

"Yeah I've seen them before and they are off the chart. Hey, if you finish work early enough to make it you should call me. I don't think I'll have much fun on my own!" Kara smiled as she went to leave the lab.

"Uh, call you?" Adam questioned.

Kara nodded before pulling a piece of blank paper from a printer, a pen from her pocket and writing her number down. "Or you could text me, whatever is easier."

Adam watched with his mouth open in shock as she left the lab and walked back in the direction of her desk at reception.

Kara Todd had just given him her phone number and asked him to call her. Kara Todd had just asked him to go to a concert with her. Kara Todd knew Adam Ross existed.

* * *

Adam finished work earlier than he had expected to do so and after returning home to shower and change his clothes he finally found the courage to text Kara.

_Hey Kara, am I too late for the concert? Adam._

His phone had barely been on the table ten seconds when it lit up and vibrated furiously with the little flashing envelope in the top right corner indicating a text message.

_No of course not! I'm on my way now so I'll meet you outside the venue :) K. _

Adam felt nervous energy course through his veins as he grabbed his jacket from the stand and headed out of his apartment to meet Kara.

* * *

"That was _so_ cool! They were awesome!" Adam grinned as he and Kara sat in a bar after the concert had finished. He had felt a little awkward being alone with her at first but they had both been so intent on enjoying the concert that the awkwardness Adam had felt soon melted away.

Kara nodded in agreement. "I'm so glad you finished work early enough to make it, I remember how much I loved seeing them the first time."

"I heard they were good live but man that was so much better than I expected" Adam added. Kara thought he simply meant the concert but he also meant the evening as a whole.

"You have a great memory by the way" Adam said in reference to Kara remembering such a brief conversation.

Kara raised an eyebrow as she stirred her drink with her straw. "I've had some compliments before, but never one on my memory" she laughed lightly.

"Oh, I, just mean that, oh…" Adam replied, slightly flustered.

"Adam" Kara said looking him dead in the eye. "Relax!" she smiled.

Adam chuckled. "Sorry, I guess you just, uh, make me a little nervous."

"Why?" Kara asked puzzled.

Adam shrugged; he wouldn't tell Kara it was because he had the hugest schoolboy crush on her.

"Hey Kara!" a male called as the owner of the voice, a tall man with dark hair approached the table Kara and Adam were sitting at.

"Jackson! What's up?" Kara greeted the man warmly.

"Work man, work. It's quiet tonight but it was crazy at the weekend. How have you been?" Jackson asked. He was wearing dark jeans and a tight black t-shirt which clung to his obvious six pack. He was tanned with close cropped dark hair and piercing blue eyes and the silver tray he was carrying told Adam he was a barman.

"Good, good. This is Adam by the way, Adam this is Jackson and he keeps me in drinks on a NYPD budget!" Kara joked.

"Awesome." Adam replied with slightly less enthusiasm than both Kara and Jackson who had now headed off to another table.

As much as Adam had enjoyed his evening with Kara, one thing or rather, one person had kept him from fully relaxing: Don. He knew he probably shouldn't say anything to Kara and that he should mind his own business but he couldn't help himself and before he could think he had blurted out what he had intended to keep in his mind.

"Why didn't you go with Don tonight?"

"Because I asked _you_" Kara said, pointing to him with her straw.

"I know, why?" Adam's brain was willing his mouth to stop speaking but it didn't appear to be working.

"Because you clearly have great taste in music" Kara replied.

"And Don doesn't?"

Kara shook her head. "Don's just a friend Adam. I know that not many people at work think that, but he is. We get on and we have a lot in common but his taste in music sucks!" Her tone was light and friendly but it was also final.

Adam took the hint.

* * *

"Thanks for keeping me company tonight Adam" Kara said as they stood outside of the bar on the sidewalk at the end of the night.

"No problem, thanks for asking me" he replied.

"Anytime." Kara added. She also broke the awkward silence which followed. "Well I'd better grab this taxi, 'night Adam."

"'Night" Adam replied. "Hey Kara," he called as she opened the taxi door. "What are you doing next week?"

"I'm not sure, why?" Kara replied despite the taxi driver shouting at her to either get in the car or shut the door.

Adam pulled a flyer out of his pocket that he had taken from the table of the bar and walked over to hand it to her.

"Guitar Hero night? Awesome!" Kara exclaimed as she took the flyer from him.

"Listen lady, are you getting in or not?" the driver shouted.

"Are you walking to the subway?" Kara asked, Adam nodded. "Or not" Kara replied to the driver, shutting the car door with force in response to the driver flipping her off.

"Wait, how did you know I liked Guitar Hero?" Kara said when they were halfway to the subway station.

"I overheard you and Lindsay talking about it once" Adam shrugged feeling more relaxed in Kara's company as the night wore on.

"Really? You have a great memory." Kara replied.

"Well you know I've had some compliments before but never one on my memory" Adam said, using the exact same sentence Kara had uttered herself that evening.

Kara didn't reply, instead she just laughed and so did Adam. In fact, they were both still laughing when they reached the subway and eventually went their separate ways.


End file.
